As MTB MLE programmes move beyond the pilot phase and begin to expand, MTB MLE teacher training should be incorporated into established teacher training programmes. Thailand provides an excellent example of the way this can be done.
Example from Thailand: Establishing MTB MLE teacher training in accredited institutions
In 2007, the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University, initiated a Patani Malay-Thai MTB Bilingual Education pilot in Thailand’ s Deep South. The project was supported by Mahidol University, UNICEF( Thailand) and the Thailand Research Fund( TRF).
Because of civil unrest in the area, the pilot project was initiated in just four schools in 2008. Although the project was small, the impact on Patani Malay students was impressive and in recent years twelve more schools have been added. As the programme expanded, it was clear that a teacher education programme was needed to prepare Patani Malay speakers to teach in the MTB MLE schools. The Faculty of Education at Yala Rajabhat University( YRU), a major centre for training in the Deep South, recognized the value of MTB BE and the need for a formal MTB BE teacher training programme.
MTB MLE RESOURCE KIT Including the Excluded: Promoting Multilingual Education
In 2012, with funding from the European Union, YRU and Mahidol University signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate in a research project for institutionalizing MTB BE teacher training. The project goal was that YRU would become a centre for MTB MLE teacher education in southern Thailand. The university now provides MTB MLE and related classes for undergraduate and graduate education students. Continuing education classes are also available for teachers and administrators. YRU has established an MTB BE Centre to provide technical knowledge to students, teachers, administrators, academics and others in southern Thailand. 13
13 http:// www. op. mahidol. ac. th / orra / research _ highlight / 2556 / 2556 _ 09 _ LC. pdf
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